Rafael Nadal Clinches Indian Wells Title

INDIAN WELLS: Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to win his third Indian Wells ATP Masters title and cement his return from a seven-month injury layoff.

The 11-time Grand Slam champion from Spain claimed his first hard court title since 2010.

He hadn't played a hard court tournament since pulling out of the Miami Masters last March with tendinitis in his left knee -- the same sort of knee trouble that would sideline him from late June until February.

He came back last month to post a runner-up finish in Vina del Mar, followed by victories at Sao Paulo and Acapulco. But none of those modest clay court tournaments posed the challenge he faced at Indian Wells, where the field featured 49 of the top 50 players in the world.

Seeded fifth, his route to the final included a quarter-final clash with defending champion Roger Federer.

In the final, Nadal halted the giant-killing run of seventh-seeded Argentinian del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 3 Andy Murray en route to the final.